Chandigarh: The Punjab government has extended the detention of Khadoor Sahib MP and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh under the National Security Act (NSA) by a year.
Singh's lawyer, Iman Singh Khara, confirmed the development to ETV Bharat, saying that he will stay in Assam’s Dibrugarh Jail for another year. The 32-year-old MP was detained under the NSA after his arrest on April 23, 2023. “The Aam Aadmi Party government is nervous after the meeting held on Baisakhi day that a conspiracy has been hatched to stop Amritpal Singh's entry into Punjab,” he said.
Meanwhile, a letter from Singh regarding the extended NSA was widely shared on social media, triggering sharp reactions. The document states that the NSA has been extended on the recommendation of Amritsar DC Sakshi Sahni.
The order, issued on Thursday (April 17), to extend the NSA has cited audio clips, records and documents, which allegedly pose a threat to the security of the state.
Condemnations Pour In From Family, Others
Following the decision, the MP’s father, Tarsem Singh, held a press conference and slammed the government. “Extending NSA against Amritpal is an insult to democracy. This is a stain on democracy. My son is being oppressed beyond the law. He contested the MP election and won. He wants to raise the voice of the people, but he is being stopped. The Punjab government is doing all this in collaboration with the central government,” he alleged.
The term for his last detention under the NSA was to expire on April 22. Earlier, the state government did not extend the detention of Singh's nine associates, who have been brought back to Punjab from the Dibrugarh Jail.
The recruitment committee members Sardar Manpreet Singh Ayali, Jathedar Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Jathedar Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Jathedar Santa Singh Umaidpur and Bibi Satwant Kaur also strongly condemned the order, terming it “unconstitutional”. “The approach adopted by the Centre and the Punjab government towards the Sikhs is unacceptable,” they said.
More about Amritpal Singh
Singh is a native of the village of Jallupur Khera in Punjab’s Bakala Tehsil. He has studied at the Polytechnic College, Kapurthala, and after completing his studies, he went to Dubai for work. He hogged the headlines after he was made 'Waris Punjab De' head after the death of actor Deep Sidhu's organisation. Therefore, he remained on the radar of the intelligence agency.
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